Erin Pettengill is a missionary nurse through Mission to the World (MTW), the mission sending arm of the (PCA). I have been a Registered Nurse for over 20 years. My family and I served in Honduras for 7 1/2 years where we were involved in Medical/Mercy Ministry, Street Children, English classes, Kids Club, and Church Planting. We are now serving in Equatorial Guinea, Africa in medical/mercy ministry and biblical teaching.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

We And They

I read this on a friends blog site, it's a poem by Rudyard Kipling. The idea behind the poem is becoming more and more real to me. I'm feeling a bit more like "they" every day. Enjoy!

We and They

Father and Mother, and Me,Sister and Auntie sayAll the people like us are We,And every one else is They.And They live over the sea,While We live over the way,But-would you believe it? --They look upon WeAs only a sort of They!

We eat pork and beefWith cow-horn-handled knives.They who gobble Their rice off a leaf,Are horrified out of Their lives;While they who live up a tree,And feast on grubs and clay,(Isn't it scandalous? ) look upon WeAs a simply disgusting They!

We shoot birds with a gun.They stick lions with spears.Their full-dress is un-.We dress up to Our ears.They like Their friends for tea.We like Our friends to stay;And, after all that, They look upon WeAs an utterly ignorant They!

We eat kitcheny food.We have doors that latch.They drink milk or blood,Under an open thatch.We have Doctors to fee.They have Wizards to pay.And (impudent heathen!) They look upon WeAs a quite impossible They!

All good people agree,And all good people say,All nice people, like Us, are WeAnd every one else is They:But if you cross over the sea,Instead of over the way,You may end by (think of it!) looking on WeAs only a sort of They!